On Saturday, L.A. Times columnist and Around the Horn regular Bill Plaschke asked NBA fans, “How dare you? How dare you hate the Miami Heat?” The guy who regularly makes Woody Paige look intelligent shook his ham fist at the heavens and pondered for 1,000 words why sports fans could hate the Heat, and what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have done to deserve the scorn and ire of the majority of fans not living in Miami (or pretending they live there, for that matter). And even though Plaschke’s argument makes very little sense, uses poor franchise comparisons and contradicts itself, I thought the idea of this “hate” issue should finally be addressed.

Since “The Decision” aired on ESPN and from the day that James, Wade and Bosh were introduced in some sort of nightclub/man orgy celebration in Miami, it’s been a case of us and them. Us – the anti-Miami, the fans of so-called fairness, balance and order, those of us who despised the grandstanding and boasting before the season even began – against the idea that two superstars and Bosh could do something unprecedented to establish a dynasty and people should just be expected to love the Heat for that. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

To preface this argument and rant, there is plenty of hate in the world, and so much of it is misguided, ignorant and all-around despicable. To advocate any kind of hate is a slippery argument because it endorses the idea that we should dislike someone so much for a differing opinion, or in this case an opposing loyalty. However, unlike vitriol-inducing topics like politics and religion, sports are simple. At least they should be. I don’t like your team and you don’t like mine, but at the end of the day it’s just a sport and we’ve all got lives to get back to when they’re over. James touched on that after last night’s game, and he’s right.

That’s the main point that Plaschke, Dan Le Batard and other columnists miss when they preach to us that we’re not allowed to hate the Heat for no reason. I am allowed to hate the Miami Heat. You are allowed to hate the Miami Heat. Your father, mother, brother, sister, cousin, neighbor, dog, bird, imaginary friend – they are all allowed to hate the Miami Heat. We don’t ever have to justify it to anyone because that is our right as sports fans, so long as we recognize the distinction between where sports end and reality begins.

With that said, I’m offering a Declaration of Hate to put an end to this frivolous, troll-baiting idea once and for all. We hate one side because we love another, and when three grown men claim to be the best in the league join together and vow to win title after title, there will be hate, and there is not a thing that any player, coach, analyst or columnist can say to change that.